Monday, June 17, 2013

Statement from Hernandez on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Arizona voter registration forms

Statement
from Hernandez on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Arizona voter
registration forms

STATE
CAPITOL, PHOENIX
--Rep. Lydia Hernandez,
D-Phoenix (District 29), issued this statement regarding the U.S. Supreme
Court’s decision that states cannot require people to prove their citizenship
when registering to vote using a federal registration form. The Supreme Court’s
ruling, however, will permit Arizona to continue to require proof of
citizenship from people registering to vote with state-issued
forms.

“Today’s decision from the U.S.
Supreme Court supports the idea that we need a fair and equitable voter
registration process. I have firsthand experience with the burdens created by
Arizona’s
voter registration form.

“Over
the past few years, Latinos have endured problems when registering to vote using
the state’s registration forms. These issues made it more difficult, if not
impossible, for some to register to vote. Certain eligible voters were asked to
prove their U.S. citizenship after they submitted
their registration forms. It could take from several months to more than a year
to verify the documents. This effectively prevented some eligible U.S.
citizens from participating in the election process. In other instances, voters
who did submit the required documentation learned that their names were missing
from the rolls on Election Day.

“In
this situation, many voted using provisional ballots, if they were aware that
was an option. Some who did not know they could use a provisional ballot simply
walked away. This problem has gotten worse over the years, which helps to
explain the long lines at the polls and thousands of provisional ballots that
Arizonans cast during last November’s election.

“The Supreme Court’s ruling will
help to ensure that this no longer happens. We should be doing more to ensure
increased voter participation. Our democracy is only made stronger by the
inclusion of more voices.”